Report: Andruw Jones headed to Japan

Andruw Jones has signed a one-year contract worth roughly $3.5 million to play in Japan next season, reports Nikkan Sports (via NPBTracker.com). According to the report, the Rakuten Golden Eagles of the Japanese Pacific League have inked Jones to a one-year pact that will pay him 300 million yen.

The 35-year-old Jones has to his credit 434 career home runs and one of the best defensive peaks ever at his position, so he'll one day be in the Hall-of-Fame discussion (even if he's something of a long shot to make it).

Jones is a vaguely useful player in careful doses (i.e., strictly platooned and kept away from a glove as often as possible). Last season with the Yankees, Jones had an OPS of .701 across 269 plate appearances.

If nothing else, he's one of the biggest names ever to cross the Pacific and play in NPB.